The SR Structure has been in use since 1986 for the production of standard statistical outputs from Population Censuses and labour force surveys. Labour Force Surveys use over 70 dissemination regions for the publication of labour force data.

SRs are maintained as a separate structure from the Main Structure because of the complex manner in which they relate to SSDs and SDs. For example, SRs can be whole SSDs, aggregates of SSDs, or part of an SSD. Similarly they can be whole SDs, aggregates of SDs or part of an SD. SRs can also be as large as a State or Territory. SRs are aggregates of SLAs.

THE STRUCTURE

The SR Structure has six levels of hierarchy in census years, comprising in ascending hierarchical order: CDs-SLAs-SRSs-SRs-MSRs-S/Ts. In non-census years, with CDs undefined, it has only five levels of hierarchy (see diagram 3, Chapter 1).

The spatial units in adjoining levels relate to each other by aggregation and disaggregation. For example, SRSs aggregate to SRs while SRs are disaggregates of MSRs. The spatial units within each level of the SR Structure cover the whole of Australia (as defined in Chapter 1) without gaps or overlaps.

Table

The current SR Structure is shown in the following tables in Chapter 13: